Light
by svevijah
Summary: A collection of one shots about Stella and Brandon's moments through the seasons.
1. Chapter 1

With a twirl in the air, Stella's sceptre turned back into a ring that she promptly let slip back on her finger. Once the troll was successfully handcuffed, the two boys came back to the main entrance of the house — or at least what was left of it.

"Bloom, this is Sky." Stella announced, slender fingers gesturing towards the tall blonde boy. A small smile made its way on his lips as he waved in Bloom's direction. "And this is Brandon." she went on introducing the brunette guy who was leaning on his broadsword. Bloom could almost swear the princess' voice had changed in tone. still, she didn't ask — even when the two shared a long glance, Stella smiled at him in gratitude and he just nodded in return, making Bloom wonder if he was the one who received the princess' call.

"We'd better go..." Sky announced finally, starting to make his way back to the owl "you know Riven doesn't like to wait." his last comment made both Stella and Brandon snort, following a roll of eyes from Sky, leaving Bloom to wonder what kind of inside joke she was missing.

When the boys left, Stella turned to face Bloom, the hint of a smile ghosting on her face. "So… are they all trying to win your heart or something?" Bloom inquired vaguely, nodding in the direction where the owl was. Stella scoffed. "I really hope not, Sky's my cousin." she quipped although looking slightly alarmed about the redhead thinking there could have been something her and any of the two boys.

"And what about Brandon?" Bloom went on, now more interested in the matter. For a long moment, Stella seemed lost in her thoughts then finally, she gave Bloom a light shrug. "He's Sky's squire. We're just friends." she declared in a mutter, her tone not sounding very convincing to Bloom.

Suddenly her gaze made its way to Bloom's house. "We should help your parents fix this mess." as Stella walked past the redhead, her regal gown flew in the windy night, and Bloom let out a breath she didn't even know was holding.


	2. Chapter 2

Small drops of rain started pouring from the sky, causing Stella's hair to fall flat on her jacket. As her fringe covered her eyes, a hand was quick to brush it away, causing the blonde to giggle light heartedly despite the dangerous situation she had found herself into just a couple minutes before.

She was just supposed to collect Varanda's letter and give it to Mrs. Faragonda as soon as she'd arrive at Alfea. An easy task, Stella would dare to say… if only that ogre and his friends wouldn't go great lengths to give her a hard time. And for what? She still didn't know.

"So, you're coming back to school, uh?" Brandon inquired, one arm stretched so that his hand would collide with the brick wall of Bloom's house, the other gently ghosting on Stella's face, taking in every little feature. Stella's lips twitched into a thin smile – a clear sign she wasn't really that happy to be back but still was looking forward to it somehow. "That was the plan, yeah." she conceded with a nod "But uhm, there's also Bloom now…" she trailed off, hand vaguely gesturing towards the Peters, who were trying to put back their front door with Sky's help.

Brandon's gaze slowly moved from the blonde to his friend, who was intent to play it cool for Bloom to notice. A small smile graced his lips as he turned to look Stella. "You look better than the last time I saw you." he let out finally, causing Stella to purse her lips, knowing the subject would have come out eventually. The way she was kicked out of Alfea wasn't really something she'd pride herself of – still, it gave her the right perspective to decide which path she wanted to follow.

"I feel better, too." she declared sincerely. Brandon's hand moved to her shoulder to give it a little squeeze. Stella's smile widened as she relished in that small act of affection from the specialist, his usual way to show her he was there, and he was proud of her accomplishments. Stella really wanted to kiss him whenever he'd do that – still, just like usual, she kept staring into his brown eyes like they held the secrets of the whole galaxy's existence, unable to move closer to him.

"How long is this check going to last?" a voice inquired from the porch, causing both Stella and Brandon to burst into laughs and look away "She didn't look like she was going to die anytime soon to me!" Sky's voice kept echoing in the cul-de-sac that divided The Peters' from someone else's house in the small suburban area of Gardenia Street. Letting out a long sigh, the princess slid under his arm.

"I like this thing, we should it more often." she finally said nonchalantly, gaze never daring to cast upon the specialist. As Stella began walking toward the porch, Brandon shoved his hands in the pocket of his jeans, letting out a breath he didn't even realise was holding. "I'd love to."


	3. Chapter 3

Diaspro frowned dramatically as her arms fell along her hips, Sky's holo imagine slightly faltering as she closed the call. "I don't know what you're talking about, I am sky's girlfriend." she declared firmly, although Bloom could hear a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"No,_ I_ am his girlfriend." Bloom remarked without missing a bit. "Sort of." she quickly added in a mutter, leading Diaspro to cross her arms to her chest and scoff. "It can't be possible Sky and I have been dating for as long as I can remember, this little show you're putting on means nothing."

Bloom's eyes glistened hearing the princess' statement, the sudden realisation she had been a fool to think Sky actually was interested in her suddenly crawling in the back of her mind, making her feel so little and worthless. Before any of the two girls could say anything, Sky's head peered from the door, an easy going smile hovering on his lips as he called for Diaspro, making the blonde girl nod in his direction triumphantly, and giving Bloom even more doubts on who the hell was she actually dating.

"Bloom?" he finally let out in a whisper, breaking the redhead's trail of thoughts. "What are _you_ doing here?" he asked harshly, so differently from the tone Bloom was used to. She didn't answer, and the heavy silence that was ascending upon them was broken only when Brandon entered the room, finally realising what was going on.

"You know what, Sky?" Bloom began, tone just as harsh. "You can keep your lies, and your _fancy family and girlfriend_ – I want nothing to do with a liar." she declared, heading quickly to the door before tears could actually leave her eyes. Once she was at the door, she turned to Diaspro. "Your precious boyfriend goes around his school saying you two have broken up last summer. Perhaps you should find someone better as well."

Once in the hallway, she was met with the Winx, Stella leading the group around with a worried expression hovering on her features. "Have you seen Sky?" she asked, trying to sound as light hearted as possible. Bloom nodded, trying as well as she could to hide her tears and shaky fists. "And what happened?" Stella urged, but Bloom shook her head, clearly not in the mood to talk. No longer after, Diaspro and Sky walked past them, Brandon following suit. "Hey Stella!" the princess called out, hand in the air waving elegantly. "Still going after our servants or following your mother's footsteps is not of your interest anymore?"

Stella's eyes narrowed tight, and in less than a second, she was ready to jump on the princess of Isis in a very unlady like manner. Bloom tugged at her wrist, pulling her back. Behind the royal couple, Brandon took a long glance at the solarian princess, eyes filled with shame.

"I can't believe you lied to _me _about this." she whispered angrily as the squire walked past her. Once they turned around the corner, Stella composed herself and fixed her hair, giving Bloom a sympathetic smile. "Come on Bloom." she encouraged "It's clear that neither my cousin or _his friend_ deserve us."

Although Bloom could hear a hint of hurt in Stella's voice, she said nothing but held her hand tighter instead. The Winx walked back to the main entrance, and as the guards escorted them outside the building, Diaspro's mind kept on replaying Bloom's words over and over.


	4. Chapter 4

"You don't understand." Stella finally declared with a sigh as she sunk deeper in one of the benches near the water well. Rolling his eyes at her statement, Brandon sat on the other side of the bench, hands folded on his lap as the space between was growing not only physically but also emotionally. He hated that feeling, because it was nowhere close to what he'd wanted to do with Stella.

When Sky voiced his doubts about dating Diaspro and his new feeling towards Bloom, Brandon didn't miss a beat and quickly found a solution for him, like usual – this time being the simple action of breaking up with the princess of Isis and start knowing better the redhead fairy that had come into their lives just a few months ago. Still, Sky couldn't bother himself to do things right and went on with dating both of them, ending up in both of them having issues now.

Stella's arms folded around her torso, her eyes narrowing tight every time a girl would pass by and giggle or wave at Brandon. Was it childish of her? _Definitely_. Would that be enough to stop acting that way? _Hell no_. With the corner of her eye, Stella noticed that Brandon was now mirroring her pose, except that his gaze was completely fixed on her. "How long are you going to give me the cold shoulder for something I have no fault of?"

Stella's hands curled into fists as she turned to face him. "No fault?" she echoed, causing a bunch of girls to turn into their direction "Brandon, you knew what was going on and didn't tell me." the princess explained again, hurt filling her voice. If only she had known earlier, she wouldn't have let Bloom get closer to Sky, and now she wouldn't have a broken heart. "_Bloom is my responsibility_, and now she's devasted." she finally let out in a mutter.

Brandon let out a sigh, and after a few moments he finally made the first step and slid closer to the blonde. "Look, I get it. I tried to reason with Sky but you know how he is." he declared sincerely. Sure, he didn't really care for Diaspro and he barely knew Bloom, but that didn't mean he couldn't see what happened was beyond wrong.

"And if things are not difficult already, Diaspro called yesterday." Stella cut in, breaking his trail of thoughts and leaving him a bit shocked. "Diaspro called yesterday?" he echoed, voice confused. Sure, Stella and Diaspro used to be friends when they were children… but now? They could barely tolerate each other and everybody knew that. "What did she want?"

"Apologize and talk to Bloom." she remarked with a shrug. When the princess called and asked for Bloom, Stella let them have their time. It wasn't that she didn't care, she just thought she wasn't really part of the whole love triangle – plus Bloom told her everything willingly after the call was closed.

"But did she apologize to you?" Brandon urged, silently mentioning what happened in the hallway and what Diaspro had said to Stella. The blonde shook her head, and a little shrug followed after. It was a known fact her mother had had an affair with a royal guard for years, and had eventually decided to give up her crown and family for him. Stella didn't hold grudges against her decision despite the initial hurt, but she still didn't want to be linked to that kind of behaviour.

"You know you did nothing wrong, right?" Brandon coaxed, his hand reaching for her shoulder only to fall back when she slightly moved away from his touch. That was easy for him to say – Stella thought – he wasn't the one put under pressure, under expectations, under duties. He was just there, careless of what people thought, defiant towards what royals wanted him to do. Stella envied him.

"I can't give up my duties for you. I can't and _I won't_." Stella finally declared, and although tears were threatening to stain her cheeks, she felt a bit better, a bit lighter. Brandon lips parted slightly, he was clearly taken aback from her random confession. He would never ask her any of that, why would she even think it could be a possibility? Shaking his head, Brandon's hands reached for Stella's shoulders, this time holding her tightly as he turned her around to look at him.

"Listen well. You won't have to give up anything, because that's how much I love you." he stated loud and clear, making sure his gaze would never falter from hers "You're going to be a magnificent queen, and I will be right there by your side… or on the side…" he joked, caused Stella to snort "still, I'll be there. Always. And you can think I'm an idiot right now – it's fine, I do as well – but don't think for a second that I don't love you enough to let you be what you have to be."

Brandon's lips twitched into a thin smile, trying somehow not to show that even though he knew this would happen, it _still_ hurt. Letting out a deep breath, Stella moved closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thanks." she whispered, causing the specialist to look down at her. "For what?"

Stella looked up, a smile gracing her lips. "For being here… and for loving me." she explained, hand vaguely gesturing in the air. Brandon let out a light chuckle, gently kissing the top of her head. "Anytime, Sunshine."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys, just a little heads up that this chapter covers the aftermath of Brandon's time underground with Amentia. In the show there's this scene that is supposed to be played for the laugh but watching it years later actually made me realize that when Brandon is standing in a corner and Amentia jumps on him despite he stated many times he didn't want her to touch him. The scene cuts to the girls and Sky but I'm pretty sure Brandon didn't have a good time down there… so yeah, ****a little warning that non-consensual sex is implied to have happened**** and Brandon talks about it with Stella.**

**I can't believe I waited to be stuck at home to upload this fic and I'm utterly sorry! I'll try to update again soon though as I really can't do much else lol. Also, other heads up about me finally having a personal Tumblr account! You can find me **** svevijah**** if you ever want to follow!**

On the way back to the ship, Stella could feel tension building up, something metaphorically weighing and distancing even farther the space between her and Brandon. His silence didn't seem uncharacteristically at first, nor Stella actually tried to find any hidden meaning behind it. On second thought maybe, she should have just asked right there.

That night the girls were circling in the main room connecting their bedrooms, books in hands and sprawled all around them as they were revising the last couple of notions for the upcoming test of Palladium's class. Stella's mind started focusing on other stuff more or less when Tecna's _fun facts_ were beginning to be a little more than what she had to revise.

Normally, Stella would try to listen and take notes so that in the unfortunate case she'd run out of things to write, she could still have Palladium be merciful enough to give her a C… tonight though her focus was on her phone, and to the fact that she hadn't heard about Brandon in days after what had happened with Amentia.

Following Flora's advice, Stella didn't pressure him into telling her what happened, yet something in his weird behaviour was telling her that it probably was rough, and she couldn't help but feel guilty – after all Brandon had traded his life for hers, being the usual selfless dumbass that she loves so much, and she didn't even thank him. Maybe a little text wouldn't hurt, just to let him know he's in her thoughts.

"Uhm… why is that bike hovering in our balcony?" Tecna suddenly stopped to question loud enough to break Stella's trail of thoughts. "Isn't it past curfew?"

"Maybe it's just someone pulling a prank or something." Musa conceded with a wave of her hand, trying to find her notes so that she could begin revising her part. "And Stella can you focus for a sec–"

A loud bang at the window glass had it shake for a second, making Musa suddenly stop and jump a little on her seat. Turning to girls, the fairy of music narrowed her eyes at the sight of her friends pretending to mind their business. "Do I have to open?"

"I mean you're closer than we are."

"Aisha I can't believe you just backed them up on this – if I die it's on you five."

Musa slowly opened the window, free hand clenched into a fist as a mean of protection, but as the figure stepped into the dim light, the fairy's hand relaxed. "Stell it's just Brandon."

Stella, who until that moment was sitting in the corner with a pillow held up to cover her face, slowly peered at the window, hand waving lightly as a bunch of books fell on her side. Brandon let out a soft sigh as he waved back, and if Stella noticed he seemed a little bit on edge, she didn't say anything.

"Can we talk?"

Here it is. In Stella's experience – and as a general rule for the whole universe – these words never lead to anything good. Usually it's a breakup, and as Stella's mind started spiralling into an infinity of outcomes of what was going on, Bloom was already collecting everybody's books and notes and pushing the girls in hers and flora's room.

Before she could even realize what was happening, Stella was already walking towards her room, a habit she's always had whenever Brandon would come over for a while. Leaning on the door frame, the princess crossed her arms and turned to stare at Brandon still standing in the main room. In another occasion, he would have said something witty about the fact that she was wearing his old sports shirt, yet this time no words were coming out and he felt quite bad about it.

"You asked to talk but I don't hear much speaking from you." Stella quipped, tone light hearted to cover the feeling of fear crawling up her back.

"Yeah you're right, sorry." he muttered back, quickly pacing towards the room and entering the room. As he walked past Stella, Brandon took her hand and pulled her in a hug – which caused Stella to giggle and him to release all that pent-up anger and tension just for a while.

While one could argue that avoiding your girlfriend for almost a week is a dick move, Brandon just knew he needed some time alone to figure out what to say, how to explain to the solarian princess how important she was to him and how he would have done everything and anything to make sure she'd always be happy and well.

"Okay, I'm not opposed to this but uhm… what's going on babe?" Stella asked, voice a little muffled by his jumper covering her mouth.

"I need to get something off my chest or it will eat me alive."

Stella pulled away and gave him a sceptical look. He did look like someone who had had a couple rough days, although she couldn't figure out in what extent. "You look tired."

"Haven't slept much."

"I figured." Stella joked without missing a beat, taking his hand in hers and leading him to her bed to sit down. "You can stay over to sleep if you want. I have a test tomorrow but I don't mind…" a pause "…actually I kind missed you."

Brandon took a deep breath as he put an arm around Stella. As the fairy cuddled closer to him, Brandon's lips twitched into an affectionate smile, and for a second, he almost thought what he wanted to say didn't matter that much, for he was _home_, with the girl he _loved_, and that was all that mattered.

"So, what's the matter?"

"I'm sorry that I didn't call you sooner. It's just that… something happened underground with Amentia and–"

"Yeah that wedding looked kinda tacky." Stelle conceded with a smile. "Ours will look better, I promise."

Brandon let out a shaky laugh at her statement, wondering if what he was about to say would have had Stella change her mind on marrying him. "Look, I don't want to lie to you. I didn't call you sooner because I was ashamed of what happened and I needed to figure out how to deal with these things."

Stella tilted her head to look at him, a confused expression hovering on her face. "I should have thanked you. Back then. you didn't think twice to save my life and I'm not sure everybody would have done what you did. I know I tell you this all the time, but I love you. And I'm glad you're here because I don't know what I would have done if didn't manage to bring you back home."

"I had sex with Amentia." Brandon let out as quickly as possible, leaving Stella speechless enough to forget about what she was talking about. The affectionate smile on her face faltered, and Brandon's heart skipped a beat as he realised what was going on. "She forced me to, otherwise she would have killed you. I tried to run away but then she cornered me and I… if it meant you'd be safe… I just knew I didn't want you to die, and that was the only way to make sure she'd keep her promise. You have no idea how sorry I am, I–"

"It's okay." Stella whispered, voice so low Brandon could barely hear her. "It's okay." she repeated, this time loud and firm as she pulled farther and fixed her hair in that nonchalant way she'd do to pretend nothing could graze her ego. "You saved my life. Traded yours for mine. I don't care about what happened between you and her, because as far as I am concerned, you did nothing wrong. You hear me? You did nothing wrong. It's not your fault."

As Stella turned to look at him in the eyes, Brandon felt so exposed he could barely keep it together. To be fair, Brandon had never been one of those guys to think that emotions are stupid, or that they should just bottle up everything – he did want to look stronger than he felt in front of Stella though, and didn't really expect her to be so forgiving and comforting towards him. "I love you Stell, so much I can't even begin to–"

"I know. I love you too B." Stella stated firmly as she pulled her boyfriend closer into a hug, breath hitched and tears rolling down her cheeks. "Everything's going to be okay, I promise."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Super-fast update as I promised! I have four "angsty chapters" planned and so far, I've written three, so yeah, there will be one more towards the end of the collection and then our heroes will be forever happy and in love. This chapter is inspired to the 24****th**** issue of Winx comics, the one where Shilly gives Brandon the love potion. I always thought that the breakup scene between Stella and Brandon seemed a little off and rushed, and specially Stella seemed a bit out of character – considering how she carries herself in other situations and how similar she is to her dad personality wise, I don't really think she'd burst into a crying session right in front of Brandon, but would totally wait to be alone and unseen. Anyways here's the chapter, hope you like it! 3**

"This winter Sky's coming over with aunt Samara, but I'm pretty positive dad wants to go to uncle Erendor's New Year's Eve party like every year, so maybe we could find a day to hang out in between? I mean, does Sky even need you to be around him all the time in his own house?"

Much to her annoyance, all of Stella's questions went unanswered as her boyfriend seemed to be totally elsewhere with his mind. Letting out a soft sigh, Stella sunk deep into one of the white wicker chairs outside the _White Horse_, her favourite place to get something to eat and drink since Bloom started to work there as a waitress. Even that dramatic action went unnoticed.

After the night Brandon confessed what was making his heart heavier, Stella really thought they could start over and head towards some kind of healing process, instead almost a month later, Brandon seemed to be nowhere to fine and she was sinking down with him as well.

"B what's going on? We've been planning this thing since forever and you're not even listening! What are you even looking at honestly!" and to be fair, Stella would have expected to look in the way Brandon had been dreamingly staring the whole time and find the boys mocking him, or even just random bikes parked by heaven knows who… instead the only thing in sight was this random girl looking at the sunset.

"You know her?"

"Uhm… yeah, it's Shilly." Brandon stated as a matter of fact, leading Stella to exaggeratedly raise her brows and continue to talk since he had finally begun giving her attention. "The Cloud Tower student from the canyon mission, remember?"

"Nope."

"Well, I do."

As Brandon turned to look at Shilly again, Stella scoffed, closing her little orange agenda with a loud thud. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Stella would pride herself to remember any face and any name… if this girl didn't ring any bell maybe she just never met her, no need to be so harsh. "What's the deal with you today? You're insufferable."

"Maybe I just don't care about planning a day to meet you during winter vacations!" Brandon practically screamed on her face, causing Stella to take a step back out of stupor. "I already see you every damn moment of my life on school days."

"Yeesh, okay. No need to be so abrasive." Stella conceded, hands held up before in sign of defeat. "You asked me to find a free day for me to meet your parents, I'm just trying to make everything fall in its place."

"It was a stupid idea, forget about it."

"What?"

"Just forget about my parents. It's not like we're gonna stay together for log anyways."

"Are you being serious right now?" Stella inquired, and it took all the strength in her body not to let her voice crack and her eyes get teary. "Are you really throwing a tantrum at me because I didn't remember that girl's name?"

"Look Stella, things between us don't work anymore and haven't in a while. Maybe it's for the best we just get everything behind and forget about it." Brandon stated firmly, tone of the conversation suddenly becoming serious as Stella realised he was actually breaking up with her. Looking at Brandon through the rose-coloured shades of her heart shaped sunglasses, for the first time Stella couldn't figure out the brunette at all – she could only stare at his blank expression and wonder what the hell had just happened.

"Are you breaking up with me then?"

Brandon took a deep breath and nodded, suddenly feeling contradicted between what he was feeling and what he was thinking. Then again Stella had been the first serious relationship after an endless trail of flirts and broken hearts… maybe it's just the way one feels after being used to staying with someone for so long.

"I really love her Stella… I never felt like that for anyone…"

Pretending not to be hurt by his words was probably the hardest thing Stella had ever had to do – still, golden eyes shielded by sunglasses, the solaria princess kept her chin up, the ghost of a smile hovering on her lips as she got up from her chair. "Well, I hope this _spectacular fuckup_ of yours will be worth it."

Before Brandon could even reply to her ominous words, Stella was already jogging down the stairs, without looking back.


	7. Author's note

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello guys, I'm really sorry to announce that for the time being I will not update the collection as my computer is broken and I don't really feel like typing and posting from my phone. Hopefully I'll manage to fix it without having to wait for the quarantine to be done – however, I noticed there are a bunch of reviews so in the meantime I will answer to those:

To VIVILAVI: I'm so glad you like my collection! Unfortunately there are very few fictions in the Winx section and even fewer about Brella specifically, but who knows, this might change soon! I hope you like the new chapters and I've lived up to your expectations! X

To Gardenheart: I will die on the hill that Brandon is one of the most soft guy in the Specialists bunch and I'm honestly mad that the aftermath of what happened with Amentia was completely forgotten despite for that one scene of Brandon being reluctant to come back to ask the princess for help. That chapter was an experiment because we know so little about Brandon's personality and how he reacts to things, but I'm glad you liked it! X

To lifeasmarah: I know right? Brella was my og otp and they deserve so much love! x

To Guest: I'm sorry but I'm a little confused about your review? I literally wrote in the author's notes that chapter 6 is a retelling of Stella and Brandon's breakup scene from the comic issue you mentioned as well. Brandon "chooses" Shilly because he's under the effect of the love potion. Us readers know that but Stella doesn't, and the chapter was mostly written from her point of view. What threw you off exactly?


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello guys! Life has been hectic but here I am finally with another piece of my favourite couple. This was supposed to be published ages ago, so pardon me if the theme doesn't really match the season we're in at the moment :'')**

A chilly breeze brushed against Stella's face, and she couldn't help but tuck her chin deeper in her neon orange scarf. Brandon didn't seem fazed at all by the weather, walking just a few steps ahead, hands tucked in the pockets of his coat.

"Are you having fun?" he suddenly asked, turning around enough to catch a glimpse of her face. Stella's gaze moved on him, a small smile quickly forming on her lips as she nodded.

"I had never been here before…" she began, shoulders slightly rolling towards the ice-skating park not far from where they were standing. Truth was, Stella had been to Eraklyon many times throughout her life, but had mostly spent time at Sky's castle since he wasn't really allowed to leave - not that they would have come downtown anyways. "...but I love it so far, you're a good chaperone."

Brandon chuckled, head tilted down to hide the blush on his cheeks. Stella's lips twitched into an affectionate smile as she nudged his arm with her shoulder. He seemed so at ease and peaceful around the snow and the ice, and it made Stella wonder what it would have been like if they didn't have to go back to the castle, then to school, and resume with their lives.

"_Oye_," Brandon called out, fingers snapping before her eyes "you're zoning out on me a lot, are you sure you like being here?"

Stella cleared her throat, keeping her gaze on a few families walking behind Brandon. For a second their gazes met, and Stella could have sworn one of them gasped in her direction. "Sorry I'm just… a bit cold…" she stammered and before she could say anything, Brandon's arms were already wrapped around her smaller frame.

"I told you this jacket's too light."

"What are you talking about, it matches yours!"

Brandon let out a sigh, closing his eyes slowly as he tightened his grip around Stella. Someone not far from them whispered something, and he finally picked up on what was going on. "They're trying to figure out if it's you or not, uh?" he ended up whispering into her hair after a while, only receiving a short nod from Stella. When she pulled away, guilt seemed to have taken over whatever happy feeling she was having until that moment.

She didn't care about what other people's opinion on her relationship were, but she had tried really hard to keep it quiet as much as possible, knowing how ugly things can turn when paparazzi and magazines are involved. Her parents were a good enough example.

On his behalf, Brandon never pressured into making any official statements: their closest friends knew, some other people outside the circle too, but they didn't mind. It didn't actually matter that much, as all that mattered was right in front of him.

"Wanna go somewhere else?" he finally asked, mind already working on some sort of plan b date he could switch to and keep the happy vibe going.

"Nah," Stella cut short, gloved hands smoothing the edge of her jacket in a subtle attempt to lower her anxiety. "I like this date, I won't let _that_ ruin it."

Her tone sounded unsure, and for a second Brandon wondered whether ask her again to be sure or just follow suit on her determination. Before he could even say anything, Stella was already dragging him through the snowy path leading to the ice-skating rink. "I think this is the right time to let you know I've never ice skated before."

"Shocker!" he exclaimed in a faux sarcastic tone, a wide smile spreading on his lips as he tugged Stella closer to him. "Don't worry _your majesty_, I'll hold your hand to make sure you won't fall."

Stella rolled her eyes, nudging him with her shoulder. _To hell with the people, let them stare_, she thought smiling proudly. Next day her pictures were all over the web, and she didn't care one bit.


End file.
